Every Steven Spielberg Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

2. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

By far the best of Spielberg's unapologetically sentimental films, E.T. has almost no equal in the sci-fi family film stakes - in large part because it's such a malnourished subgenre - and simply, you'd need to be an insanely hardened cynic not to find at least some charm in its staggering filmmaking craft and earnest emotion.

The director taps into his inner-child perfectly in this extremely heart-warming tale of a boy, Elliot (Henry Thomas), forming a connection with a marooned alien amid the fallout of his parents' divorce. The performances, the cinematography, the creature design and the music all conspire to make E.T. a rare blockbuster that doesn't put a foot wrong.

And thank God he didn't press on with that planned sequel. Oof.